A YuGiOh Christmas Tale
by Mysia Ri
Summary: Jounouchi had lost the Christmas spirit and holds a bitterness in his heart that threatens to consume him. Can a visit from three spirits help him to remember the true meaning of Christmas?
1. Chapter 1

AN: This is the result of me talking to Michael on the way home from work yesterday.

Will, this is just sort of the start of it. I was going to make it a one shot, but I opted to go ahead an post this.

Yes, it's another version of the Charles Dickens Christmas Carol. But I promise this one will be a touch unique! (you read the summary ;) )

I hope you enjoy! I'm going to work on chapter 14 of _Hikari to Yami no Enishi_ now. :3

* * *

It was a cold, icy day outside of the Kaiba Corp building in Domino City. Still, a large crowd was gathered to hear the CEO's public announcement of a yule-tide Duel Monsters Tournament. Jounouchi shivered, hugging his old coat closer to him as cold air cut sharply across his features. His friends stood around him, Anzu chastising him for not dressing warmly enough, missing the fact that he was dressed in his warmest clothes. Yugi stood on his toes, trying to get a good view of the stage while Honda leaned against the cold blond in hopes of helping him stay warm while not seeming too obvious.

Of all his friends, Honda was the only one who truly understood the teen's financial troubles. After all, Jounouchi had a reputation to maintain.

As Seto went over the rules of the tournament, Jounouchi couldn't help but let his thoughts wander. It was nearly Christmas and Shizuka was off with their mother visiting relatives, which left the blond to contend with his father alone. He didn't anticipate any presents save perhaps some more Duel Monsters cards from his friends. Maybe a scarf from Anzu the way she got on him about not dressing warmly.

Ever since his parents had divorced, Christmas had been bitter-sweet for Jounouchi. Sure, he loved the idea of what the season promised, but the reality was disheartening. 'Mean while people like Kaiba have money to throw around on tournaments and fancy presents for his brother. Tight ass probably doesn't know what it's like to live like I do. What I wouldn't give to trade places with him. Would serve him right...'

"Now, all duelists will form a line to the left of the stage to receive your locater cards," Seto announced. The rules for the tournament were similar to those of Battle City except the finals would be held in a different, more local location.

"Why don't you guys go warm up," Yugi suggested. "Jounouchi and I will get in line and catch up with you later."

"Sure thing, Yugi," Honda nodded, eager to get out of the cold. As he and Anzu left, Yugi and Jounouchi queued up and began looking for familiar faces.

"Che, Haga and Ryuzaki are here," the blond tsked.

"I saw Mai earlier. I think she was with Valon," Yugi said.

"Figures," Jounouchi grumbled.

"Huh, I don't remember sending you an invitation, mutt."

The blond growled, shooting Seto a glare as the CEO came to a stop beside him. "I was a finalist in Battle City. And I would have won against Marik if-"

"Details details," Seto smirked. "I _suppose_ I'll let you in since you somehow managed to survive in Battle City." The CEO continued walking, wanting to get a look at the other competitors, though it was only Yugi that mattered to him in his mind. 'Without the spirit of the Pharaoh to duel for him, I wonder if he stands a chance against me?' the brunette mused, visions of glory dancing in his head.

"Damn you, Kaiba," Jounouchi growled, turning to chase after Seto. "I'm fed up with you treatin' me like a dog! Would it kill you to be nice to me just on-ah...woah!" the blond's foot slipped on a small patch of ice, his hands reaching out to catch himself on anything available. He just missed grabbing a hand rail of a nearby set of stone steps, though he did manage to brake his fall when his face slammed against it. His mind reeled as he dropped to the ground, hitting his head again with a groan. As the world faded to darkness around him, he heard Yugi calling out to him and Seto barking at people to stay back.

* * *

AN: Well, it's a start. Man, I'm going to have to go on a writing frenzy, huh?

Oh noes! Jounouchi hit his head and fell down! *gasp!* I wonder what will happen next!

Oh wait, I know what happens next :D Guess you guys will have to wait until I write some more! :3


	2. Chapter 2

AN: I know what you're thinking. "Mysia, where have you been for the past week D:?"

Answer: It's Michael's fault. (My roommate for those who don't know). See, he bought this game that...well, you sit down and think "I'll just play for an hour, two tops." Next thing you know, it's been a day and a half, you're starving, but you just want to finish one more quest.

No, it's not World of Warcraft. I won't be fully playing that again for a while. Probably not until the Cataclysm happens. It's a little addiction called Dragon Age: Origins.

But...but Bakura's a Dalish Elf rogue and having sex with another elf named Zevran (who seems to be kinky) and and Rajan is going to be an Arcane Warrior when I get him to a high enough level D:

...*sighs and stands up* My name is Mysia and I am a gamer.

Don't worry though, now that the Christmas madness is over and due to the X-Box being in Michael's room, I won't be playing it constantly and I will be working on getting more updates for you.

I'll even finish this one. I'm just having some trouble with it. With a lot lately. I've been tired and sluggish. Probably a combination of being over worked and not eating right. Too much fast food not enough fruits and veggies. Think I should pack a lunch for a while...

Anyway, here's an update for you. Hopefully I'll have a Hikari to Yami no Enishi up later tonight or tomorrow. (Michael's on his X-Box now so I have no excuses ;)) Hope you like where this is going!

A belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Welcome to the new decade and what not. :3

* * *

"Can we get a statement Mr. Jounouchi?"

"What are your plans for Christmas, Mr. Jounouchi?"

"Mr. Jounouchi, when's your next tournament?"

Katsuya Jounouchi gave the reporters a friendly smile as they bombarded him with questions. "As you know, this is our busy season here at Jou Corp. Our Duel Disk system is very popular this year and we're all working hard to make certain our databases are up-to-date and our satellites are functioning properly. As for the next Duel Monsters Tournament, I'll be announcing the details day after tomorrow. Now if you'll excuse me, it's Christmas Eve and I have much work to do," Jounouchi nodded, stepping into the elevator and letting the doors slide closed. Alone at last, the smile faded from his features and he pressed an intercom button. "Kaiba."

"Yes Mr. Jounouchi?" a voice quickly replied.

"Be in my office before I get up there," the blond snapped.

"Yes sir!" the voice on the other end replied.

"Hmph," Jounouchi grumbled to himself, impatiently tapping his foot and looking around the elevator for some sort of distraction. The doors opened and he passed quickly into his office, barely acknowledging his secretary as he passed.

"Here are the latest reports you wanted sir," Seto announced as soon as he saw his employer. "Stocks are up, we've received several more orders world wide for our Duel Disk system, and the projected-"

"Good. Any bad new?" Jounouchi demanded, taking his seat and typing away at his keyboard.

"Er..no sir," Seto replied, fidgeting a bit. "Everything's running smoothly.

"Excellent. You may go," the blond said, shooing him away. A moment of silence elapsed and the CEO raised his gaze.

"W-well sir, I was hoping to ask if I might...leave early today...It is Christmas Eve after all and-"

"Christmas," Jounouchi tsked. "What do I tell you every Christmas you ask me to send you home early, Kaiba?"

"Time is money, and I agree sir, but my brother, Moku-"

"And," Jounouchi rose to his feet, leaning on his desk. "While you're standing in my office asking me to send you home early, what should you be doing?"

"I..." Seto clenched his teeth, resisting the urge to tell his employer off. He was saved the effort when the door to his office opened, a smiling brunette poking her head in and grinning brightly at the blond.

"Merry Christmas, Katsuya!"

"Nyeh, humbug(1)," Jounouchi tsked, his sister giggling at him as she came to his desk. "What is it, Shizuka, can't you see I'm busy here?"

"You're always busy, big brother," she pouted. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Kaiba," she offered to the other man.

"Merry Christmas, Ms. Kawai," Seto replied, offering the girl a smile.

"Could you not distract my employee, Shizuka? He needs to be getting back to work. Did you come here for something? Surely you don't need another surgery, do you?" Jounouchi asked.

"Oh big brother, please don't be so mean to Mr. Kaiba. It's Christmas Eve. I'm sure he'd like to be home with his family." Shizuka pouted and gave her her best puppy-eyed look. As hard skinned as the CEO was to most tactics, his sister had a way of lowering his defenses.

"Oh fine, I suppose I could let you leave provided all your work is finished or you find someone to do it for you," Jounouchi sighed, rolling his eyes.

"Oh...thank you, Mr. Jou-" Seto started, but the blond cut him off.

"I expect you here tomorrow at 5am sharp."

"Ah...o-of course, sir. Thank you. And...um...Merry Christmas," Seto said, leaving quickly before his employer could change his mind.

"Nyeh..." Jounouchi returned his attention to his sister. "And? To what do I truly owe your visit? Surely you didn't come all this way to talk me into sending home that nuisance."

"Well, tomorrow is Christmas Day, and mom and I are hosting the annual family dinner this year, so we were hoping that you might come by," she smiled hopefully.

"Oh, I would love to," Jounouchi said sarcastically. "After all, I do so love dealing with mom and dad trying to get into my wallet, not to mention the rest of the beggar in our family."

"Come on, please?" Shizuka pleaded. "I know things have always been-"

"You don't know, Shizuka," Jounouchi snapped. "Mom took you off and you had a good, happy life. I got stuck living with that man and had to claw and fight my way to where I am now. I keep in touch with you because you are the only person worth the time to talk to."

"And time is money," Shizuka sighed sadly. "But..."

"No," Jounouchi said firmly. "Keep your Christmas nonsense to yourself. I have a business to run, and I don't take a holiday from it." That said, he turned his attention back to his computer.

"Well...If...if that's how you really feel..." Shizuka set a candy cane on the desk, pipe cleaners, googly eyes, and a small red puff glued to the top arch to make it look like a reindeer. "Merry Christmas, Katsuya..."

No sooner had the door closed behind her, the blond lightly plucked the candy from his desk. "Christmas." He a look of disgust, he dropped it into the waste bin under his desk. "Nyeh, humbug."

* * *

It was a quarter to nine before Jounouchi left his office, finally allowing the last remaining employees to leave and ensuring that all of the security guards were at the stations. He climbed into his limo, turning on the heated seats and pouring himself a glass of wine as he rode home, flipping through some paperwork.

A gentle tapping on his tinted window drew his irate glare to the pair of faces smiling at him and he rolled down the barrier to bark at them for touching his car.

"Excuse me sir," the paler of the two smiled, white hair dusted with snow that only made if glisten in the street light. "We're collecting donations for the less fortunate. Could we ask for a contribution?"

"You can," Jounouchi smirked. "But I don't carry cash, so-"

"Well, we could take a check," the other man, tan with blond hair and looking foreign, put in quickly. "Or you could pop over to the ATM around the corner. We'll be here."

Honey-brown eyes flickered to the street light, trying to will it to change to green so he could escape the pair. "Or, I could close my window, go back to my warmth cabin and vintage wine and, oh look at that, the light changed. Try not to freeze to death begging for change," he mocked, closing the window and missing the rant the blond shouted at him as the limo drove away.

He arrived home without further incident and barked at his servants a bit before moving to his home office, intent on getting a little more work finished before going to bed. He had to be at the office early, after all, to make certain Seto was on time.

"I have to remember to dock his pay for every minute he missed today," Jounouchi muttered to himself. His fingers stiled over the keys as the lights flickered slightly and he frowned, quickly saving his work. "Nyeh, it must have started snowing again..." he muttered, pressing a button on the intercom on his desk. "Hey! Someone kick on the generator. I've got work to do and the power is-" before he could finish, a burst of static erupted, making him flinch before it fell silent, the room falling to the eerie silence of a black out.

The blond CEO grimaced and rubbed at his ears as they started ringing in the silence, rising to his feet when a strange, bluish glow peeked around the edges of his office door. "Who's out there?" he snapped. "Get your ass to the generator room if you've got a light, you lazy layabout! I can't get any work done!"

When he received no response from the light source, he stormed toward the door. "Didn't you here me? Go fire up the generator or-" the threat died in his throat as a man simply passed through the closed door, his form a wispy blue transparency with dead eyes. As it fully entered the room, the heavy chains that clung to him clinked and rattled.

Jounouchi stumbled away from the apparition until he bumped into his desk. "Wh-what is this...this has to be a joke...someone...someone is tampering with my holographic systems to make you appear...." he stammered an accusation.

"Now that's harsh, Jou," the apparition smirked. "What, you got so high and mighty you forgot all about me?" He covered his heart with one hand, eyes fixed on the unbelieving CEO. "That stings."

Jounouchi's eyes widened. "You...H-Hiroto Honda?"

"Oh, so you do remember?" the ghost grinned, moving closer to the blond.

"But...no, I don't believe in ghosts...I've just been working too hard...that's it..." Jounouchi nodded, squeezing his eyes shut. "I'm overworked and haven't been getting enough sleep or eating right. Besides, Honda's not-"

"Dead?" Honda asked, a cold breath of air tickling the blond's face, his eyes snapping open to find the apparition mere inches from him. "I died a month ago, not surprised you weren't at my funeral. Too busy being a big shot to think of the little people."

"I...no, that's not...What happened, Honda? And why are you here now?" Jounouchi asked.

"Oh, you remember how we were as kids," Honda began, making his way around the desk to sit in the chair, the heavy chains that clung to him rattling as he went. "Bullied everyone and did whatever we want. Good times."

"Yeah, we pretty much ran the school, huh?" Jounouchi chuckled. "Then I fell in with Kaiba Corp. and set about taking it over."

"Ruthlessly, I heard. Some say you killed Gozabaru and his kid...what was his name? Noa?" Honda asked, rocking back and forth in the CEO's chair.

"Hmph, I didn't kill Noa."

"You didn't save him either," Honda pointed out. Nor did you even attempt to help his father when he was poisoned."

Jounouchi's eyes narrowed. "I didn't poison him, if that's what you're saying. 'Sides, he was an evil bastard who deserved to die."

"True, Gozabaru did a long of evil things. And trust me, he's getting what he deserves, but wasn't it you who talked the doctor into pulling the plug?"

"Enough!" Jounouchi snapped, slamming his hands on the desk.

"You also made certain that you, not Gozabaru's adopted son, were made CEO," Honda persisted.

"What are you getting at, Honda?" the CEO growled.

"You don't even know about Mokuba, do you?" Honda mused. "You've cut yourself off from your family completely and greedily hold on to as much money as you can."

"You know damn well I paid for Shizuka's operation. And why shouldn't I keep my money? After all the shit life's given me-"

"Oh wah, yes, your life was absolutely miserable. And the cost of that operation didn't make a dent in your fortune." Honda rose and glared at Jounouchi, lifting an arm and shaking the chains attached at him. "Do you know why I'm wearing this damn things, Jou? It's because in life I was a bully. I took money from other kids and, after we left school, I took it from everyone. I was a thief and a swindler until the day I died. I broke my neck when some kid tripped me as I was running from the cops and fell down some stairs. No one was at my funeral. I died alone and no amount of money could change that. These chains are my punishment and when you die you'll wear them too, only your will be heavier."

A chill ran down Jounouchi's spine and he shook his head. "No...no, that's..."

"You still have a chance though," Honda continued, his tone softening. "Tonight is your last chance though. Three spirits will come, the first at midnight. Listen to them, Jou. It's not too late to avoid this." He began to fade away and Jounouchi reached out a hand.

"Wait..Honda, what do you mean? Three spirits?"

"Listen to them. I'm serious. Don't end up like me, Jou. Good luck." Finally, he vanished completely from view, leaving the CEO alone in the dark. He looked at his watch to find it was already 11:45pm.

"Ah...no...I don't believe in ghost..." he told himself, shakily making his way to the door. "I...I'm just hallucinating. I need to go to bed...." He hurriedly stumbled through the dark hall, feeling his way to his bedroom and ignoring the chill and eerie silence. Finally finding the correct door, he hurried in and locked it behind him before blindly searching for his bed. His watch let out a soft chirp, telling the CEO that it was midnight. He froze, holding his breath for a moment and listening intently.

"Heh...look at me, believing that hallucination..." Jounouchi laughed dryly, finding the edge of the bed and starting to undress. A small light came on behind him, startling him. He spun around, shielding his eyes and squinting to try and make out the source of the sudden illumination. "Who's there?"

"Katsuya Jounouchi," a man spoke. As Jounouchi's eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that it came from an odd pendant hanging around the man's neck, resembling an upside-down pyramid. The man himself wore a white tunic and kilt, a long, dark purple cloak, and simple sandals as well as gold bracers, girdle, a crown, and a shoulder guard on his left shoulder. His hair was tri-colored, his bangs golden blond, the rest black edged in magenta and styled in five points. Violet eyes regarded Jounouchi silently a moment, the blond feeling a strong sense of deja vu. "I am the ghost of Christmas Past," the man said finally, seeming almost uncomfortable by his title.

"But I don't believe in ghosts," Jounouchi replied, hoping that his words would run the alleged spector would depart.

Much to the blond's dismay, the man reached out and took hold of his elbow, pulling him toward the window. "Come, there is much to do and little time."

"Wait, where are we going?" Jounouchi cried, trying to get free as the spirit opened the large bedroom window. "We're on the second floor! What do you think you're doing!"

"I'm taking you to see what Christmas was like for you in the past," the spirit explained. With a small leap, he took to the air, dragging the hapless Jounouchi with him. The blond cried out and shut his eyes, anticipating a fall to his death. When he dared to look again, he found that he and the spirit were soaring over Domino City.

* * *

AN: This is as far as I've gotten as of New Year's Day. Well, Eventually it'll get finished. I'd hoped to get it all done by now.

Instead, I'll set it aside for the time being in favor of finishing a chapter of Hikari to Yami no Game.

Hope you like where this is going though! It's off season, but I will finish it :3

(1) The honest truth? This was the whole reason for writing this. It's also Michael's fault. XD


End file.
